New Orleans Chef Serves Up Authentic Mardi Gras Menu in SoCal

Mardi Gras wouldn’t be Mardi Gras without the food. For the sixth year in a row, Dominick’s in West Hollywood is putting on a Louisiana style culinary show.

"The chef is from Louisiana, so it's a really fun," said Jessica Schmidt, Dominick’s general manager. "It’s a really festive event for us here because we are really embracing his culture inside Los Angeles."

"The hot bread pudding and hard sauce, whiskey hard sauce, and I am not shy with it," said Dominick’s pastry chef Ann Kirk.

"It's made with brioche, sautéed apples. They're sautéed in butter, brown sugar and a little bit of cinnamon," Kirk said.

And don’t forget the royalty of all pastries: the King Cake. Decked out in the Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold -- it’s a classic Mardi Gras specialty.

"It's actually more like a bread. It’s a sweeter bread with a little bit of nutmeg and golden raisins in it," Kirk said. "There’s a lot of icing on it."

Hidden inside the King Cake, a little baby that -- depending on whom you ask -- either blesses the finder with good luck or charges the finder with the responsibility of hosting the Mardi Gras party the following year.

For pastry chef Kirk, it’s both.

"It’s good luck if you like to throw a party," she said.

Located at 8715 Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood, Dominick’s Cajun inspired dinner menu is available through Tuesday (Fat Tuesday) Feb. 21.